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I
?$
f
Quinby and some members of the
club here have picked out a certain
card. IJe has wagered that you can
tell what It'Is."
Very promptly the person at the
other end of the llnfc must have an
swered, for the club manager wrote
down his reply on a piece of paper
and took it over the Joel and his
friends. It read:
"Ten of spades." N
There were exclamations of sur
prise, suspicious guesses, theories. No
one, however, could tell how the
thing was done. Blandly Joel pock
eted his Thinnings. He chuckled audi
bly s he and Ned got out on the
street.
Easy money," he grinned, "when
you know how to get it"
"I don't understand," remarked
Ned.
"On the quiet, then, I have a friend
at the other end of the telephone.
We have a card 'of fifty-two names,
corresponding to the cards in a deck.
When I phoned him as 'Randolph,' he
know he was to guess the ten of
spades. Brown would have beeu the
four of liearts, 'Smith' the seven ot
clubs, and so on. See?"
Ned did see, and also the low grade
of morals to which Joel had de
scended. However, many a time he
smarted under the rapid advance Joel
made in "business. He was desig
nated as shrewd, a live wire, and all
that. Ned went slow but sure. He
could not afford to take Constance
around in an automobile nor send
her five-dollar-a-dozen roses. For all
that she seemed to enjoy a drive in
the old-fashioned phoeton, arid the
first wild daisies that Ned walked
miles to discover.
One day Ned, passing through the
stock room of the big wholesale store,
was hailed by JoeL
"I say, Travers," called out the lat
ter, "help me a trifle, will you?, Just
get up on that step" ladder and throw
down that rowof boxes."
There was a great long table and
this was soon piled man high with
thel)oxes. 4s Ned got down from the
ladder, his tas accomplished,, he was
amazed to- see Joel jump up on the
table and fling himself into the midst
of the head. Be powed over the
boxes, he rolled, he struck out with
his fists, he jumped about the pile
until it presented a great mass of
wreckage.
"There." he cried exultantly, "that
will do."
"For what?" uttered the bewildered
Ned.
"Why, there's nine hundred gross
of imported Swiss dress trimmings in
that heap of "boxes. The'"Season Is
past and they're dead stuff. Im go
ing to put tHem out as a damaged
job lot, sell 'em off and get rid of the
truck."
"Do you think that is wise?" in
terrogated Ned.
"Why not?" challenged Joel, brist
ling a trifle at a criticism of his judg
ment. ' '
"Well," responded Ned, "of course1
you know all about the selling-nd
of the business here, but at the buy
ing end my point of view Is different.
I have noticed in our foreign corre
spondence that the head of the firm,
who is In Germany, has written that
there is a hint of war, in which case
prices would go up and shipments
become difficult He has sent on a
lot of invoices, showing entensive
purchases, as if in anticipation of a
dearth"
"Nonsense!" derided the self-conceited
Joel. "You don't suppose lit
tle Switzerland is going to war, do
you? Say, I never make a mistake.
I'll rid the house of that junk heap
and make a good profit on it."
Which shrewd-selling Joel did.
Then came the news of war and close
on the heels of the announcement the
head of the firm returned.
Two days later the amazing news
wnt the rounds of the establishment
that Joel had "resigned." Later Ned
got wind of a storm.
It appeared that, knowing of the
surplus Swiss stock on hand, the head
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